real commencement

I'm in the last week of my internship. Can you believe it? This has been the most hands-on editing and writing experience I've ever had, and I've really had the opportunity to employ almost all of the skills I learned in school. I felt very prepared for this internship coming in, and at the same time I was challenged. Here's a little recap of my experience at Church magazines.

The good:
:: the reclining seats on the bus
:: the commute--I've read over 10 books this summer!
:: the interaction with editors on all staffs
:: the many writing opportunities I had
:: seeing my name in print
:: the other interns
:: the soft-serve frozen yogurt machine in the cafeteria
:: the post office in the basement
:: the Church motor pool
:: working on Temple Square
:: running an errand to President Uchtdorf's office (unfortunately he wasn't there)
:: being treating like a real staff member
:: Intern Enlightenment (for-the-most-part weekly sessions for the interns covering various professional topics)
:: the field trip to the Church press
:: the Elevate Your Thoughts signs in the elevators

The not-so-good:
:: the commute--6:30 is really early to catch a bus
:: no caffeinated drinks in the cafeteria
:: bureacracy
:: complaints about Church bureacracy
:: sometimes too long meetings
:: sometimes feeling that I'm at church all week long
:: nylons (you could have figured out that on your own, though)

As you can see, the good greatly outweighs the not-so-good. I'm glad I took the internship, even though being in Utah apart from my family and from Josh was really hard. Given my life's circumstances (engagement, getting married, moving to Portland), I'm not too sad the internship is over, but I'm so happy I had this opportunity. I feel more confident in myself and my editing and writing abilities. I feel that my education has already started paying off, that I can find a real job doing something I love.

Graduation was almost four months ago, but I feel that right now I'm at the real commencement of my life. I'm leaving Utah, I'm moving to Oregon, I'm getting married. I was talking to Emily several weeks ago frustrated at the sometimes slow pace of the summer. She sympathized with me and then articulated, "I can imagine how you're feeling. You have a whole life to start!" I'm at the end of a major part of my life and at the very beginning of the rest of it.

I'm ready to start the rest of my life.